Medical Futility – Like Ordering Osso Buco at a Vegan Restaurant

I used to analogize medical futility to ordering osso buco at a vegan restaurant (or to ordering “off” the menu more generally). &nbsp;It simply is not simply something that the restaurant prepares or serves. Indeed, to serve such an item would run counter to the very mission and identity of the restaurant. &nbsp;Similarly, requesting life-sustaining treatment for a permanently unconscious patient with multi-organ failure is to request something that the ICU does not provide. It &nbsp;runs counter to the very mission and identity of the ICU.The analogy breaks down, of course, because ICUs provide that treatment all the time. &nbsp;It is unclear that ICUs have a clear menu demarcating what they will and will not provide. &nbsp;[embedded content]

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